Door fastener



G. E. DATH DOOR FASTENER Sept. 18, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 15, 1947 Inven/or: George ED695711.

Patented Sept. 18, 1951 DDOR FASTENEB George E. Dath, Mokena, Ill., assignor to W. H. Miner, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation'of Delaware Application January .13, 1947, Serial No. 721,708

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in door fasteners particularly adapted for use with hinged doors of automobile trucks.

One object of the invention is to provide an efficient door fastener of simple design for a hinged door which may be readily applied to the door in such a manner as to be concealed within the door structure.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a door fastener of the rotary bar type having keeper engaging end members at opposite ends thereof, wherein the rotary bar is in the form of a tube and the end members have shank portions telescoped within the corresponding ends of the tube and are secured to the same for rotation therewith by interengaging locking means on said end members and tube.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is an elevational view of the rear wall of an automobile truck,-

illustrating my improvements in connection therewith. Figure 2 is an enlarged broken view of the structure at the mid portion of the right hand door at the left hand end portion of said door, as seen in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, corresponding substantially to the line 3-3 of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the upper end portion of the tubular operating bar of my improved door fastener showing the upper keeper engaging end member applied thereto. Figure 5 is a plan view of the upper end portion of he tubular operating bar shown in Figure 4. Figure 6v is a bottom plan view of the keeper engaging end member shown in Figure 4.

In said drawings, I!) indicates the usual rear end wall of an automobile truck, which is provided with an opening H, closed by a pair of hinged doors I2 and It. The doors l2 and 13 are of well-known design and have their inner meeting edgesbeveled so that the door l2 overlaps the door l3 when closed. The door [2 comprises vertically disposed, laterally spaced inner and outer walls 15 and it, which are of sheet metal, top and bottom Z-bars lL-ll, which have the webs I8 thereof disposed horizontally. The,

outer and inner vertical flanges l9 and 2B of the Z-bars l'!l1 are secured respectively to the outer and inner walls 16 and I5 of the door and the horizontal webs l8--l8' of said Z-bars form the top and bottom wall members of the door. The inner end outer walls l5 and 16 of the'door between the top and bottom ends thereof and extends horizontally across the door.

In carrying out my improvements, I provide the webs 'l8l8 of the top and bottom Z-bars,

and the top and bottom walls 22 .and 23 of the pocket 21 with vertically aligned openings 24, 25, '28, and 21, the openings 25 and 26 in the lower Z-bar and top wall 22 of the pocket 2| being of the same size and the openings 24 and 21 in the top Z-bar and lower wall '23 of the pocket 2] 'being of the same size but of greater diameter than the openings 25 and 26.

My improved door fastener, as shown in the drawings, comprises broadly a rotary operating bar A, top and bottom keeper engaging end members B-B on the bar, top and bottom fixed keepers C -C with which the members B--B are engaged, and an operating handle lever D for rotating the bar.

The operating bar A is in the form of an elonated tube of circular cross section arranged vertically within the door between the inner and "outer walls I5 and 15 thereof and extending through the pocket 2 I, being iournaled in the bearing opening 26 in the top wall of the pocket.

The top and bottom keeper engaging end memhers .B-B are of similar design, except as hereinafter pointed out. Each end member B comprises a heavy disclike mid portion 28, a cylindrical shank or stem 29 coaxial with said disc portion "at one side of the latter, and an eccentric crank 7 pin 30, extending from the other side of said disc portion. Each end member is also provided with Outstanding, radially disposed locking ribs 3 l-.'il at the side thereof which carries the shank, the ribs 3l3l being at diametrically opposite sides of the shank. The shank 29 of the upper end member B depends from the underneath side of the disc portion 28 thereof and is telescoped within the upper end of the tubular bar A, having the ribs 3l- 3i thereof seated in diametrically 0pposite, upwardly opening notches or seats 32-42 formed in the wall of the tubular bar. The shank 29 01' the bottom keeper engaging member B upstands from the disc 28 of this member a d telescoped within the lower end of the tubular bar. As shown, the shank 29 of the bottom end member is shorter than the shank 29 of the top end member. The ribs 3 |3| of the bottom end member are seated in notches or seats in the wall of the tubular bar, similar to the seats 32-32 hereinbefore described, and are also indicated by 32. The disc portion 28 of the lower end mem,- ber B is of reduced diameter at its lower end, thereby providing a cylindrical bearing projection 33 and an annular stop shoulder 34 at the inner end of said bearing projection. The stop shoulder 34 serves to support the bottom end member on the web l8 of the lower Z-bar. I! with web. The disclike portions 2828 of the top and 7 bottom end members are of the same diameter and the portion 28 of the top end member extends.

into and is journaled within the bearing opening 24 of the web |8 of the top Z-bar.

In the assembled and applied condition of the door fastener, the bottom end member supports the parts by its shouldered engagement with the web of the lower Z-bar, the tubular bar A being supported by said lower end member and the upper end member being, in turn, supported by the tubular bar, and the end members being interlocked with the bar for rotation in unison therewith by the interengaging ribs and seats 3! and 32, In the applied condition of the door fastener, the eccentric crank pins 3|l-3ll of the top and bottom keeper engaging end members project beyond the top and bottom edges of the door to engage the keepers C-C, which are of wellknown design. The keepers CC, which are located on the top and bottom walls of the door opening, above and below the door I2, are of the slotted type, each keeper having the usual diagonal slot 35 within which the corresponding crank pin is engageable to force the door l2 open or closed upon rotation of the bar A.

The bar A is rotated by the handle lever D, which has a sleevelike socket portion 36 at its inner end, surrounding the bar A and secured thereto by a rivet 31 extending through the walls of said sleeve and the tubular bar. As shown in the drawings, the lever D is secured to that portion of the bar A which extends through the pocket 2| and is swingable into said pocket when the bar is rotated in forcing the door to its closed position.

In applying my improved door fastener to the door, the procedure is as follows: The bottom keeper engaging member is first placed in position resting on the web l8 of the bottom'Z-bar I! of the door with its bearing projection 33 engaged in the bearing opening of said web, this keeper engaging member being entered through the opening 21 in the bottom wall 23 ofthe pocket 2| and dropped into position. The tubular operating bar A is then placed within the door by inserting the same from above, through the opening 24 of the top Z-bar of the door, the handle lever D having first been placed in position within the pocket 2|, with the opening of the bearing sleeve 36 of said lever in position to permit the bar A to pass therethrough as the same is being lowered through the pocket. When the bar has been dropped to a suflioient extent to telescope over the shank of the lower end member B and rest on said member, the notches or seats 32-32 thereof are engaged over the ribs 3|3| of the lower end member and lock the parts together for rotation in unison. As will be obvious, in the .4 event that the notches do not register with the ribs when the bar is dropped, the bar is given a turn to the required extent to register the same. The top end member is next applied by inserting the same from above, through the opening 24 of the upper Z-bar of the door and telescoping the shank 29 thereof Within the tubular bar A and-engaging the ribs 3| with the notches 32. The operating handle lever is then fixed to the bar by riveting the same in place.

The operation of my improved door fastener is as follows: In closing the door I2, the same is first swung to partly closed position to bring the crank pins of the keeper engaging end members of the operating bar into cooperative relation with the keepers. The bar is then rotated in the proper direction by the operating handle lever D to engage the crank pins within the slots of the keepers and cam the door shut. As the door is being cammed to tightly closed position, the lever D swings into the pocket 2| and may then be locked with the door in closed position by the usual latch means, indicated by 38. In forcing the door open, the operating bar A is rotated in a reverse direction, the lever D being swung away from the door and out of the pocket 2| and the crank pin of the end members forcibly camming the door open.

I claim:

1. In door construction, the combination with a hinged door having spaced inner and outer walls and horizontal top and bottom walls, said top and bottom walls having cylindrical bearing openings; of a tubular, vertically disposed, rotary operating bar housed within said door between said inner and outer walls; top and bottom keeper engaging end members at the top and bottom ends of said bar, each end member having a shank portion telescoped within the corresponding end of said bar, said bottom keeper engaging member having an enlarged portion outwardly of said shank resting on top of said bottom wall of the door and having a cylindrical bearing projection extending from said enlarged portion of smaller diameter than the latter journaled in the bearing opening of said bottom wall, said tubular operating bar resting on said enlarged portion of said bottom keeper engaging member, said top member resting on the upper end of said tubular operating bar and being journaled in the bearing opening of the top Wall of the door; interengaging means on said end members and bar for locking the same against relative rotation; and a lever on said bar for rotating the same.

2. In door construction, the combination with a hinged door having spaced inner and outer walls and horizontally disposed, top and bottom walls, said top and bottom walls having cylindrical bearing openings therethrough; of an out- 'wardly opening pocket at the outer side of said door, said pocket having horizontally extending top and bottom walls, said walls of said pocket having openings therethrough aligned with said bearing openings; a bottom keeper engaging end member comprising a main body portion supported on said bottom wall of the door, and a bearing projection of smaller diameter than said main body portion depending from the latter and journaled in the bearing opening of said bottom wall, said end member being insertable through the opening in the bottom wall of said pocket in assembling the same with the door; a tubular operating bar extending through the openings of the top and bottom walls of said pocket, said bar being supported on said enlarged body portion of said bottom end member, said bottom end member having an upstanding shank of smaller diameter than said main body portion telescoped within the lower end of said bar; a top keeper engaging end member journaled in the bearing opening of the top wall of the door, said top member having a depending shank having a telescopic fit within the top end of said bar; interengaging means on said end members and bar for locking the end members to the bar for rotation in unison therewith; and an operating lever secured to said bar for rotating the same, said lever being accommodated in said outwardly opening pocket of said door.

3. In door construction, the combination with a door having spaced inner and outer walls, top and bottom walls, and an outwardly opening pocket in said outer wall, said pocket having top and bottom walls, said top and bottom walls of the door and said top and bottom walls of the pocket having vertically aligned openings therethrough; of a tubular operating bar between said inner and outer walls of the door, said bar extending vertically through said openings of said pocket, said bar being insertable between said inner and outer walls of the door through said opening in the top wall of the door; a lower keeper engaging end member including a cylindrical main body portion and a shank of smaller diameter than said main body portion upstanding therefrom and telescoped Within the lower end of the-operating bar, said operating bar being supported on said main body portion of said lower keeper engaging end member; a depending beariii ' tom wall of said pocket in assembling the same with the door; a top keeper engaging end member journaled in the opening of the top wall of the door and having a shank portion telescoped within the top end of said bar; interengaging locking means of lug and slot formation on said end members and bar for locking the end members to the bar for rotation in unison therewith; an operating lever having a sleeve portion at its inner end through which said bar extends, said bar being insertable through said sleeve portion in assembling the parts when the lower end member is detached from said bar, said sleeve portion being riveted to said bar.

GEORGE E. DATH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 956,811 Leadbeater May 3, 1910 1,332,898 Hossie et al. Mar. 9, 1920 2,030,677 Avels Feb. 11, 1936 2,297,007 Lounsbury Sept. 29, 1942 2,298,259 Dunham Oct. 6, 1942 2,312,155 Flaxman Feb. 23, 1943 

